


The Love of a Brother

by YellingAtPlants



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Arthur Knows About Merlin's Magic (Merlin), BAMF Merlin (Merlin), Fluff and Angst, Hurt Merlin (Merlin), Hurt/Comfort, Merlin's Magic Revealed (Merlin), Multi, Protective Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Protective Knights (Merlin), but she also needs a hug, merlins sister is a badass
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-27
Updated: 2020-10-18
Packaged: 2021-03-01 02:54:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 19,927
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23344321
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YellingAtPlants/pseuds/YellingAtPlants
Summary: When Merlin's sister, who he has kept a secret for his entire life, is captured by Unknown men, Merlin rides out to save her. Complications arise when Arthur decides to join him, meaning the siblings cant risk using their magic to escape.But Ilyna can't control her magic well, and emotions are always a recipe for disaster.
Relationships: Background Merlin/Arthur/Gwen, Gwaine & Merlin & Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Gwaine & Merlin (Merlin), Gwen & Merlin (Merlin), Knights of the Round Table & Merlin (Merlin), Merlin & Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Comments: 57
Kudos: 168





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi its me again! this idea popped up on twitter as 'what if Merlin has a sibling' and I just couldn't get it out of my head. Ilyna is Huniths daughter, but not Balinors, so shes only technically his half-sister. but that's unimportant because merlin would literally kill someone for her anyway. Apparently hunith has a thing for runaway wizards oops

“MERLIN!!” the king bellowed down the hall, and multiple servants winced in sympathy for the boy when the angry king got hold of him, most likely giving him a list as long as his arm of things to do for the rest of the day as punishment for being late for breakfast. 

The gangly boy came skidding around the corner, crashing into multiple maids as he went, apologising as he ran to the king’s chambers and causing a general upheaval in his path.

“S-sorry sire.” Merlin sighed, placing Arthur’s breakfast on the table with shaking hands and moving to the bed to start anxiously straightening the sheets to keep himself busy. there was a scraping as Arthur pulled his chair back and sat down at the table, followed by a whistle of something flying through the air. He didn’t flinch when a silver goblet hit him in the back of his neck, followed by a wine jug and another goblet. Merlin sighed and turned slowly to Arthur with a raised eyebrow that could rival Gaius.

“What’s going on with you merlin? I haven’t heard you call me sire since I became king.” The blonde frowned, throwing a third goblet -where the hell is he getting them all from- from one hand to the other with his feet propped up on the table, clearly in an attempt to rile merlin up. 

“I need a horse and a week off.” Merlin blurted out in a rush, spinning back to the bed to avoid Arthur’s gaze. He hunched his shoulders and breathed slowly through his nose to stay calm. He knew he would be denied and would have to find some way out of the castle and getting a horse- 

“Why exactly would I give you a week off to go gallivanting in the woods? You’re not exactly competent enough to warrant time away.” The king’s footsteps echoed behind him and merlin wracked his brain for an excuse.

“Its… an important errand for Gaius.” He spoke slowly, knowing full well he was a terrible liar and Arthur would see right through him. A hand settled lightly on his shoulder and he flinched, knowing with painful certainty Arthur was going to get the truth out of him like he always did. 

“No, it isn’t. Don’t lie to me Merlin, you’re terrible at it.” The king pushed him gently and Merlin very nearly toppled over.

“I’m visiting my mother in Ealdor.” He breathed out, trying another excuse, shrugging Arthur away and walking across to the window, opening it slightly to let the cold winter air bite at his cheeks. He couldn’t tell Arthur about his sister. She had been his secret since he was a child, just like his magic. Arthur would have her killed if he knew about her, and merlin worried his bottom lip between his teeth to find an answer. 

“Merlin, I could have you put in the stocks for hiding things from the king, and then you really won’t get anywhere. So just tell me, if there’s a lady you like- “Arthur seemed to cut himself off when merlin’s eyes went dark with tears. 

He furiously scrubbed at his eyes and paced. Back. Forth. Back. Forth. Back. 

“Fine. Fine. Since you’re a prat, I know you won’t let this go. So fine. I have a sister who lives In Cenred’s kingdom, okay? She’s been taken to the castle of Fyrien and I’m worried that if I don’t go save her now, there won’t be anything left to save. So, you can try to stop me, but I will find a way.” He practically growled, and to his satisfaction Arthur looked taken aback at his tone. He stormed out of the room, knowing he was being ridiculous, but panicking that he’d essentially just turned his sister over. If Arthur figured out her magic, which he would since she had no control over it, his sister was going to be executed. His sister was going to die either way. Merlin gasped and clapped his hands over his mouth, stifling his pathetic cries. He marched down to the armoury first, taking Arthur’s old sword from its pedestal and marching out again with it gripped in his hand like a lifeline. He heard footsteps behind him, so turned away from Gaius chambers, deciding he wouldn’t need anything he packed after all and heading straight to the stables. He worried he wouldn’t get there in time, her message could have been sent days ago. Her magic was very flighty. 

_'Help me, please, Mer, help.’_

He shuddered at the memory and broke into a run, skidding past the stable boy and running into Rhodall’s stall. His horse whinnied lightly, and he managed a smile as he saddled him as gently as possible while in such a hurry; swinging up into the saddle was difficult with the sword still in his hand, but he managed, spurring the stallion into motion and thundering down the cobbled path. Somewhere behind him he heard yelling, but he didn’t even turn, only spurred Rhodall on again, the biting wind clawing at his skin as he raced out of Camelot’s walls.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took awhile, motivation has been dead in the drainpipe these last few days.

The king wasn’t one for yelling at his subjects, but he could have strangled the stable boy that tried to argue with him and hide where the missing stallion could be. He understood why the boy wouldn’t want to tell him, it wasn’t the boys fault merlin was stupid and reckless, but it didn’t stop Arthur shouting the stable down until llamrei was saddled properly. The mare, as well trained as she was, didn’t let out a single protest even when Arthur almost nicked her with his sword. Patting her mane apologetically, the king spurred her into a gallop, chasing down his ridiculous manservant. 

For a half blind horse, Rhodall was easily the fastest horse in Camelot, and llamrei was having a hard time catching up with him. She was panting softly but pushed onwards, trampling the undergrowth as she sped through the forest. Arthur was surprised at how well merlin and Rhodall navigated the trees, expecting the clumsy manservant to run his stallion into something in his distracted state. But they moved fluidly, like one entity as they brushed the branches of hanging trees and leapt over outgrown roots. When they got back from all this, Arthur would have to compliment merlin on his horse handling and ask him why he didn’t ride Rhodall all the time if this is how well they worked. Arthur remembered his father ordering for the stallion to be put down or set loose last year, but clearly merlin had saved him. Suddenly Arthur was grateful, if this was how well the horse could navigate even with a blind side. They broke out onto an open field, and the stallion became impossibly faster, practically flying across the grass. Sighing, Arthur spurred llamrei faster, worried about his mare but unable to slow down and risk losing merlin. Last time they were at the castle, they had barely escaped with the five of them, there was no way merlin could get in and out without help. Yes Arthur was angry at merlin for keeping information from him, but he wasn’t about to let both merlin and his sister die just because he was a little bit annoyed.

“I know you’ve been following me Arthur.” Merlins voice suddenly rang out across the clearing, and Arthur realised with a start that both horses had skidded to a stop, panting and scuffing their hooves.

“I’m the king merlin, I can do as I please. Besides, you cant even hold a sword, how did you plan on getting her out?” he scoffed, trotting llamrei forwards until they were side by side. Merlin flinched away from him, his eyes wide and still slightly wet with unshed tears. Arthur realised with a start that he’d been trying to tell merlin not to go after her earlier, he had tried to tell him to abandon one of his family. The king sighed.  
“That stallion of yours is rather quick isn’t he?” he smiled when merlin finally laughed.

“He always was, even when he was little.” Merlin stroked Rhodalls mane and the horse trotted onwards towards the castle without a worded command.

“I train him in my free time, if I ever get any.” Arthur chuckled lowly and followed them, taking Merlin’s joke as a sign he could come. He wondered why merlin didn’t think he could trust him, was hurt by it, but he knew merlin was overprotective of those he loved, had seen his nature come out whenever the knights were wounded. He’d seen merlin after Gwaine was injured, didn’t doubt that merlin would tear apart the castle in search of his sister. But Arthur had to keep his friend safe from himself too, not just the enemy.

“So tell me a little about this sister of yours then.” Arthur was curious about the mysterious character, despite it really being none of his business, and he wondered if she would be returning to Camelot with them.

“Well, she’s two winters younger than me, has mothers brown hair and blue eyes, loves swords, has always been a quick learner, she trained in our fields to become a Knight when she was older. That never happened, she’s been living in a small hut near Ealdor for months. I got a letter this morning that she must have sent before she was taken, and now I’m worried I’m not going to see her again.” It took Arthur a moment to decipher the blurted out nonsense Merlin had just thrown at him, but once he had he smiled slightly.

“Do you think she’s still interested?” it was a silent offer, and Arthur knew Merlin would pick up on it. Well, he hoped he would.

“I suppose... Well I guess you’ll have to ask her yourself when we get her out.” Merlin smiled, but Arthur saw the slight wobble of uncertainty at the edge of his lips and sighed. 

“I promise you I’ll get her out, knights honour.”

“You don’t even know her!” Merlin exclaimed, and for a moment Arthur almost thought he sounded bitter, but the thought was pushed away by Merlin’s uneasy smile as they rode up to the castle. They continued in silence and dismounted near the cave entrance, Merlin making no move to tie Rhodall up.  
“He won’t go anywhere.” He smiled, seeming to read the Kings mind as he petted the horse fondly, gripped -hold on was that Arthur’s old sword?- firmly and ducked into the dark tunnel without waiting for Arthur’s permission. The king scowled and jogged to catch up, hoping that this time there wouldn’t be an ambush waiting for them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if Merlin or Arthur act ooc, I haven’t got the hang of characterisation yet yikes  
> I saw somewhere that one of the set horses was missing an eye and it stuck with me so now he’s in my fic lmfao  
> Also I have no idea why I called the horse rhodall,,,I just did
> 
> Apparently King Arthur’s horse was called llamrei, so she gets an honourable mention too apparently 
> 
> As always I love to hear from you


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Of course there would be an ambush waiting for them.
> 
> Arthur finally meets Ilyna, and they get off to a great start.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It took me so long to get another chapter out, sorry! My brain just,,, wouldn’t write words 
> 
> Anyway, warning for violence I guess? It’s not bad, but it’s there.

Of course there was an ambush waiting for them, Arthur thought bitterly as he was pushed to his knees by some brute of a man with hands the size of boulders. His arms were chained to a pole behind his back, Excalibur held tightly in the grip of a rough looking man with a scruffy beard. So getting out with his sword was probably a plan that wouldn’t happen either. A glance over to another pole in the room confirmed where his manservant was, and when Arthur scanned the room properly he saw four more poles in similar places to his. Experimentally, he tugged on the chains, receiving a harsh slap across his face in return.

“You’d be wise to stay still, little king, if you want to get out with your looks.” A deep voice scoffed, and Arthur craned his neck to see the bearded man again.

“What do you want? Gold? Food?” Arthur tried, hoping for once in his life these weren’t bandits out for his blood.  
Wrong again.

“The throne of Camelot, and the boy.” The man’s answering grin almost made Arthur forget about the words he spoke, but they hit him full force when the brute took a few steps towards Merlin, who was watching the entire thing with wide, glassy eyes.

“Oi! What do you want with him? He’s just my useless manservant!” the desperate edge to his voice made him want to wince, but he resisted the urge as the man’s hand raised slowly to stroke Merlin’s cheek with something of a predatory gaze.

“You leave him alone!” a third, weaker voice piped up from the darkness, and Arthur had to strain his eyes to spot the young brunette cuffed to the nearest pole. Her wrist was bound in a cuff larger than Arthur’s, and she looked beaten, dark rings under her eyes. It was difficult to get a good look at her from the shadows, but she had an unmistakable air about her that made Arthur believe this was the sister Merlin had been worried about. Not knowing when to shut up must run in the family.

“I told you, girl, you behave and you’ll get out of here with your other arm, just shut up for once in your life!” the man spun on his heel and growled, practically spitting in her face, giving the King the distinct impression that this girl had been giving him hell over the last days. Arthur felt a dull flash of second-hand pride.

“What do you think he can give you?” Arthur repeated sternly, forcefully dragging the man’s attention back onto himself. Merlin began to struggle, his chains clinking, and Arthur wished that for once in his life he’d just stop drawing attention to himself. But it was too late, and the resounding slap that filled the room made Arthur shudder.

“Thanks, must have needed that.” Merlin scowled, not flinching when a second slap came, practically knocking his head sideways with the force.

“Shut up. You even attempt to escape and its her life on the line.” The man growled, disappearing from sight. There was the distinct sound of metal against stone as he slammed the cell door shut, then blissfully, silence.

“So, brother, good to see you.” The girls voice from before piped up, and she walked slightly into the light filtering through the tiny window.

“And you, Ilyna. What did you do this time?” Arthur hardly recognised the voice, it was so forced, but it was Merlin who spoke, voice breathy. Merlin had moved too, and Arthur prayed the man didn’t come back to see the pair straining away from their poles, as close to each other as possible.

“Wrong place, wrong time, as always.” Her smiled was strained, bloodied lips pulling up into an echo of a teasing grin, limited by the cracks and dryness. It hurt Arthur to see her this way, and he didn’t even know who she was.

“So” he started, clearing his throat deeply to try remove some of the dust there. “You’re Merlin’s sister? Getting captured runs in the family.” Arthur winced at his own insensitivity, silently hitting himself.

“Ah, and you must be King Arthur. Sure hope killing sorcerers for breathing doesn’t run in the family.” She scowled a little at him, and for a moment he was taken aback, before he barked out a surprised laugh.

“And having no respect for nobles is definitely a common trait.” He scoffed, settling down as best he could, leaning back on the metal pole and stretching his legs out before him. His cheek smarted with the sting of being hit, but he he could do nothing except run his tongue over his lips thoughtfully.

“Merlin, you do know what these cuffs mean right?” he heard, despite the girl clearly trying to whisper, and he feigned disinterest in the hopes he could overhear this conversation.

“Yes yes I know. Can you still...” Merlin trailed off, sounding nervous, and there was no response, but Arthur assumed the girl had shaken her head to whatever he meant, because Merlin let out a defeated sigh and slumped down. Ilyna rolled her shoulder and Merlin’s eyes filled with tears at the sight of her missing arm, but he didn’t breathe another word. 

“Sire if there was ever a time for a great plan, it’d be now.” Ilyna huffed, leaning back on her pole. Arthur noticed her chain was a lot shorter than either of theirs, preventing her sitting down or even moving further than a couple of steps away. She must have made an escape effort then, if the thicker cuff and missing arm was anything to go by.

“Im working on it. How long have you been here?” he questioned quietly, rolling his shoulder to try settle his arm in a way that pinned it less. To no avail.

“Five days. There were two others here that tried to escape too... But well... Let’s say I got lucky.” She sighed, finally sounding something other than defensive. Arthur hated that she sounded defeated instead.

“They needed you alive to bribe Merlin here, which would then bring me here.” He sighed, watching her anxiously tap her foot. Merlin wasn’t much better, picking at his fingernail with his thumb, eyes staring blankly out of the window, seeming lost somewhere in his head. Arthur knew he would be beating himself up over the damage done to his sister, but Arthur had always been bad at comforting people, so he just left Merlin to his thoughts, instead opting to study Ilyna. The girl was only an inch shorter than Merlin, but seemed just as skinny, despite the distinctive muscles flexing in her arm as she pushed off the pole and walked a slow circle around it. She was wiry but strong, it seemed, and Arthur knew she wouldn’t have gone down without a fight. He cleared his throat.

“Did they take your sword arm?” he asked into the thickening silence, watching as she stopped circling to consider his question.

“Technically, yes, but I can use my left too if you were wondering.” She sounded defensive again and Arthur found that he liked the spark that seemed to never burn out in these two.

“Right. Merlin is completely incompetent, but I think between us we can probably get out of here. Is there a guard rotor? A time when you’re released?” at her nod, he let himself relax slightly, a plan brewing at last.

“Every other day they unlock my chain so I can eat. I assume they’d do the same for you. I haven’t eaten today, so tomorrow would be our only chance.” She seemed to be on the same page as him, judging by the tiny glint in her eyes, and he couldn’t quite hide a smile at the familiar look. They shared a tiny smile, and the room fell into a companionable silence.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Merlin isn’t looking very well, Ilyna panics and Arthur plays damage control. Ilyna tells Arthur some embarrassing stories about Merlin’s past.
> 
> Until Ilyna gets dragged away, and suddenly things looked dark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tried to keep everyone in character, but Merlin is pretty much unconscious this chapter.

Time passed so incredibly slowly in here, Merlin was sure he’d be an old man by the time they escaped. He’d picked all his nails until they bled, and now that he’d lost the distraction, his thoughts wandered. The man had mentioned wanting him captured, meaning he probably knew of his magic, but that begged the question of who he was working with. If they wanted to challenge and take down Emrys, random brute bandits weren’t going to work. Not that Merlin could use his magic. Although, his magic had felt off since he got here, like it was under a layer of thick fog, just a stretch out of reach. His mind felt fuzzy, slow, like it was trapped in a bog, and his palms were slick with a cold sweat. Getting out of the cuffs was his top priority, but the chances of any of his ridiculous plans working were slim. Handling a sprained wrist or a headache was fine when they were alone, but both at the same time, plus his magic being cut off? He was tired. So tired, his body burned. He heard a distant yawn and felt the ground spin underneath him, before his vision went impossibly darker.

*****

Merlin collapsing wasn’t ideal when nobody was close enough to check on him, Arthur decided as his manservant hit the ground. The man looked paler than usual, practically transparent, and his entire body had broken out in a sweat. Whatever cuffs the men had put on him were clearly poisoned, because he’d been in fine health all morning, and now he looked like someone had been cutting off his air. Ilyna’s panicked look told Arthur that something was amiss here, he just had no clue what and it was hard to think as she screamed and lashed out against her own cuff, yanking at it until her blood began to drip in a steady rhythm that drove the king to distraction.

“Enough.” He barked, as gentle as possible while so incredibly irritated. Everything was grating on him all of a sudden, and his wounded pride was more than ready to take it out on someone else. Instead, he took a few steadying breaths.

“I can’t reach him.” Her voice was tight, and although she stopped outright struggling, Arthur heard an occasional clinking of chains as she fidgeted, trying to get any closer to the collapsed form. It was pointless, and even from this distance Arthur could see the damage she was causing.

“Ilyna stop. You’re only going to hurt yourself, then how will my plan work?” he tried for caring and compassionate, but instead came across tired and annoyed. Which was just typical when for once in his life he was trying to actually be nice and make a good impression. This girl was strong, missing arm or not, and Arthur could do without any more unnecessary maiming.

“Please, you have to wake him up.” She sounded pleading, slightly desperate, and the wild animal eyes that locked with his didn’t look like hers anymore. Nodding, he shimmied as far over as he could get, and when he realised he was still too far away, he extended his leg and gently kicked his manservant. He felt guilty immediately, but the guilt was manageable by focusing on the look of relief on Ilyna’s face.

“Merlin, brother, look at me.” She whispered, her tone like coaxing a crazed creature. As far as she could, she had bent down to his level, and when the spark of recognition lit in Merlin’s eyes, she laughed aloud. It was a metallic sound, strained and slightly mad, but Arthur found he didn’t mind, instead he reached out until his fingers could only just gently brush her shoulder.

“He’ll be fine, he’s just a big girl. When we get out of here tomorrow, we’ll take him back to Gaius, he’ll know what to do.” Again, he was annoyed at himself for the unnecessary insult, but when that laughed echoed around the cell again, it didn’t matter anymore.

“You know, he hates the cold, in the winter he used to sit by the fire all the time. It made it hard to do any farming when his fingers were always blue.” She smiled fondly, and Merlin let out a groggy sound of protest. Silently, Arthur sighed in relief.

Hours passed in companionable tales of Merlin’s childhood, and when the sun finally sunk behind the cell window to be replaced by the moon, Arthur felt almost pleasant. Although this was an irritating circumstance, meeting Merlin’s sister had been enlightening. Not only did she have endless material to tease him with, but she was quick and witty, quickly dropping ‘sire’ and replacing it with ‘Oi!’ whenever he wasn’t listening to her.

He almost forgot about Merlin’s condition, for a short while, but not for longer than a few minutes before his guilt nagged him into checking on the man again. Although he was definitely conscious and aware, the man had been near silent the whole time. As much as he joked about wanting peace and quiet, Arthur found himself missing Merlin’s wit, laughing more than necessary whenever Ilyna insulted him. When the cell door clanged open, they fell into a cold silence, but not for long.

“Hey! Get your hands off me you oaf!” Ilyna kicked and writhed as best she could when the burly man from before unhooked her chain from the pole and yanked on it like a leash. The fire in her eyes impressed even Arthur, who had stood to block his path only to be shoved aside like a mere nuisance.

“You have no quarrel with her, allow me to take her place.” Arthur was shocked at his own words for barely a moment before a sense of right washed over him, his entire being knowing that was what he had to do. Her surprised look was soft and open, allowing him to see her fear for a moment before she locked herself away again, hiding.

“Sire, with all due respect, shut up.” She grit out, her tone strained and uneven. Although all the fight had left her body, her glare spoke volumes, so for once in his life Arthur did as he was told, and watched as the girl was dragged away with no more fighting.  
She was keeping him out of trouble, stopping him getting in their bad books so he had the element of surprise. It was clever, but he wished it wasn’t at her own expense. Knowing her, she wouldn’t shut up until they gagged her.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ilyna is dragged away for information, and she flashes back to the last time she was in that corridor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it’s been awhile, I sorta forgot about this story

Ilyna decided by day three of her captivity that she was very sick of being chained like a dog.

It shouldn’t have taken her that long to decide being a prisoner wasn’t her idea of a good time, but to her credit they had essentially drugged her. Even with sluggish reactions and a painful lack of magic, she’d given one of her captors a rather handsome black eye. Sure, she’d received one in return, but it was a small price to pay for throwing such a good punch. For the first day she’d been mostly unconscious while her body drained out the foreign drug, so that didn’t count. Day two was a blur too.

Day three was vivid more than ever as she was dragged down that same hallway again.  
The run to the cell door, the blast of magic that had sapped all her strength, the flying knife that took out the mother as she sped up, practically flying across the cold stone, footsteps echoing as she raced to her only chance of getting away. Her hand was linked with that of a little boy who was struggling to keep up, his short legs taking hundreds off steps to keep up with her. She couldn’t afford to slow down for him, she had to keep going, the door was right there, so very close to her outstretched hand-

All her memories whited out into nothing but pain here. She remembered screaming, and distantly knew it would have been her own. But even now, as she scrambled to remember the child’s name, his story, she came up blank, just a burning pain at her side.  
When she’d come to, she’d been in this room, and now as she looked around, she could swear she saw her own blood on the walls. Distantly, she recognised the man, and the tools, and the look on his face; but she let herself slip away, thinking only of Ealdor, her mother, Merlin, the sun on her back as she worked in the fields. A little smile crossed her lips even as the man forced the stinger into her neck, and when the world faded, she was only being tucked into bed, on a little pile of wheat bags in the back room of her mother’s hut. 

******  
Arthur had never felt more useless in his life, knowing that somewhere down the hallway Merlin’s sister was being tortured because he was a coward. He should have stood up for her, put himself in her place. She deserved none of the pain given to her, she was so bright and defiant. But, like Merlin, that quick, sarcastic tongue had done her nothing but harm, and now they just had to hope she would be conscious enough to fight tomorrow. Arthur had no clue how many bandits they would face, or how he was supposed to take them all out with his fists, but he knew he had to try. He had a kingdom to get to, a council, his knights who would inevitably go riding off into the night to save him like a damsel in distress, only to find no evidence of where he’d gone. He hoped Llamrei had found some food, that Rhodall hadn’t wandered too far. Getting away without horses would be an additional challenge they didn’t need right now.

Arthur’s plan was a shambles really, and he wished Merlin was awake enough to snap at him for how stupid he was being, but as it was his manservant was staring blankly at the empty space, his chest barely even rising and falling with each shallow breath. Somewhere, his stubborn manservant was still fighting, but his body just wasn’t cooperating, and Arthur watched as he got weaker, a fever breaking on his brow.  
For the first time in a fair few months, Arthur slumped in defeat, his shoulders aching in a bothersome reminder of his own incompetence.

It was near dawn when the man returned, dumped Ilyna in an ungainly heap of her own limbs, threw a chunk of bread at Arthur and left. The events happened in such quick succession the Kings mind didn’t even register the problem until it was too late, the man already locking the door behind him as he stomped away. When it did, Arthur swore loudly and vehemently, his plans temporarily rendered completely useless. This single chunk of bread was clearly their meal, meaning that the guard rotor had not only changed, but also been completely ignored, so now they’d lost their window to escape.

A weak chuckle interrupted his litany of carefully selected curse words, and he almost yanked his shoulders from their sockets as he turned to look at a wildly grinning Ilyna. She was covered in blood, tiny cuts, and what looked suspiciously like a puncture wound in her neck. But what shocked Arthur into silence was the large silver key swinging heavily on one crooked, broken, finger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things getting interesting now


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They discuss an escape
> 
> Ilyna tells them of a fake sorceress called Emelie, who their enemies believe to be a powerful foe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look at me, two updates in one day!  
> However I have not proof read this so good luck

Once their disbelieving laughter had faded, they stopped to think more seriously about it. With only one hand, Ilyna couldn’t unlock her own chains, so she’d have to be helped by one of them. The obvious solution was throwing the key to Merlin, but the man still hadn’t moved, simply sat, staring into empty space like he was expecting answers. So, she had to get the key to Arthur. But he was too far, even if she could move. 

“Listen, how about this. I could, I think, kick it close enough to you that you can pull it closer using your feet. But we must pick our timing right. I’ve just given them some absolute bollocks information, so, if we wait until tonight, half of the guards will run to find ‘Emelie’ who is a dark and powerful sorceress living nearby. That leaves the problem of keeping the key hidden.” She rushed her entire plan out in seemingly one breath before leaning her head back and sighing heavily, clearly pained. 

“I can.” They both whipped around to stare at Merlin in disbelief, relieved to see him not only upright, but seeming more aware. 

“Brother are you sure?” her voice was so gentle, coaxing, Arthur got the impression this sort of thing had happened before. Sometimes he really wished he knew more about his servant.

“I’m in the darkest part of this cell, my pole is further away. Kick it here, quickly.” He sounded more out of breath than he should be, and sweat beaded at his temples, but the look in his eyes was a familiar determination. The key slid across the stone with an awful screech, and Merlin used one leg to drag it close. He shifted, and then relaxed, and Arthur realised with a start the key had vanished from sight. Ilyna laughed, loud and breathy, and suddenly they were all laughing again. There was something utterly ridiculous about this situation, and Arthur found himself relaxing, trusting this girl to get them out. 

The day passed slowly after that. They each took turns napping, never sleeping for long before something woke them up. At some point, they’d shared out the bread, but Merlin hadn’t eaten any despite them both pressing him to, so they let him sleep and spoke in hushed tones.

“Your sword is being held in the main throne room, so if you want to get it out, you’ll have to fistfight your way through not only the brute but also the giant.” She was still planning things out, and Arthur decided that irrelevant of her injuries and gender, she’d be an excellent Knight. He didn’t care what the council said about women being weak, he needed fighters in his ranks.

“Brute and Giant?” he chuckled softly, knowing who she was talking about. They only knew two of the people they would have to face, so they were battling an unknown enemy. Yet she didn’t look afraid.

“Oh. The strong man and the big man. I think they’re leaders of some sort, they were the ones who stopped me escaping.” She sighed and rubbed at her neck with her shoulder, her ragged clothing making the skin raw and red. Arthur sighed.

“Ilyna what happened? What did they want?” his tone was gentler than he thought it would be, but either way it worked, and she gave him a resigned smile.

“Information on you, on my brother, of Essetir and Camelot, of magic and swords. They wanted anything that would give them the upper hand. Not that I know anything of anywhere anyway, but I can promise you I told them nothing.” Her head lolled, and once again she scratched at her neck, her eyes glazing worryingly.

“What did they do.” It wasn’t a question anymore, he needed answers from her.  
“There was... A stinger on the table. He.... Well... There’s not a stinger on the table anymore.” Her weak joke fell short, and she slumped, blinking rapidly at Arthur. Worried sick now, Arthur reached over and tapped her leg gently with his foot.

“Look at me” he waited until her unsteady gaze focused on him “you need to stay awake; our plan won’t work without you. When we’re free and safe, you can rest all you need to. Gaius will know what to do.” She blinked blankly at him for a moment before understanding registered in her eyes and she nodded slowly.

“Just... Let me... Rest a moment. Wake me if you think I’m going anywhere.” She chuckled weakly and settled back against the pole, her eyes slipping shut and her breathing steadying, leaving Arthur alone to study the puncture mark in her neck. He was no physician, but even an idiot could tell there was something embedded under the skin, and the purple veins spreading from the wound were not a good sign. The king was beginning to panic about what that stinger could have come from, but he didn’t let himself even think of the Serkets that lived in the woods near Camelot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you guys think? Is the characterisation off? Or am I doing alright?


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All hell breaks loose

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can’t write fight scenes for the life of me rip

Darkness brought on a new range of problems.  
Arthur slipped on thin air and jolted his shoulder, hissing with pain, Ilyna was swearing almost as colourfully as he had, walking frantic circles around her pole. Even Merlin had stirred, sensing the tension in the air, and was fidgeting with the key between his fingers. It was difficult to see in the pale moonlight, but Ilyna’s wound was more purple than skin, and her eyes were shadowed by agony, but she didn’t even complain once. In fact, she’d been more resilient than before in her pacing. Maybe it was the promise of safety, or the promise of her brother’s freedom, but she looked ready to punch through brick.

“Three.” Merlin whispered softly, breaking his sisters ongoing rant. They all looked to the door, and sure enough, the guards were preparing to leave.

“Two.” Ilyna replied, a grim smile crossing her face as she squared her feet, trying to look inconspicuous.  
The guards left.

“One.” On Arthur’s word, and key came flying towards him and hit him in the chest with surprising force. For once he didn’t comment, simply shuffled until the key fell on the floor with a loud clang that made them all flinch. He fumbled blindly behind his back until, finally, a click sounded through the cell, followed by Ilyna’s quiet ‘whoop’ of excitement that it had been the right key. Quickly, he freed his other hand, then rushed over to Ilyna. For a moment, the key didn’t fit, and Arthur’s heart stopped, but then he rammed it in, and the cuff clattered to the ground. She fell forward, lacking the support of the chain, but Arthur caught her gently, setting her on her feet before turning to Merlin.

The key didn’t fit.

This time, Arthur’s heart definitely missed a beat, realising this entire plan could fall apart.

“Leave me.” Merlin whispered, suddenly very close to Arthur’s ear, and the King scoffed incredulously.

“Shut up Merlin.” He wracked his brain for a solution but before he came to one, Ilyna was tugging at the chains.

“Help me out king prat, you’re supposed to be the strongest in Camelot or something right?” she huffed, tugging as hard as she could. But as much as she would deny any weakness, she was starving and past thirsty, so her strength was sapping quickly. Arthur wrapped his fingers around one link in the chains closest to the wall and they both tugged, hard, going stumbling backwards. Nothing.

“Oh, for FUCKS SAKE.” Ilyna practically screamed, and suddenly the chains blasted off the cuffs with a loud bang. Arthur stood frozen for a moment, his brain not registering what it had just seen. It had to be magic, and he didn’t want to believe it, but there was no other explanation. The cuffs hadn’t moved, but they were separated, giving Merlin use of his arms. Stumbling, the servant got to his feet and took a few steps on deer legs. Throwing her arm around him, Ilyna coughed pointedly.  
“You can deal with my sentence once we’re in Camelot sire but right now you’re saving your manservants life, so get on with it!” She snapped, clearly at the end of her wits.

“Right.” He slung his arm around the servant’s other side and between them, they got him over to the door, despite Merlin’s feet dragging and Ilyna panting for breath. Arthur tugged at the door, but it was locked too, and he realised they’d left the key on the other side of the cell.

“Arthur...” Ilyna sounded frightened for the first time, and when she blinked at him, there were genuine tears there. Arthur’s heart clenched painfully.

“Just... Open the damn thing.” He sighed. Condemning Merlin’s sister for what she was created a bitter taste in Arthur’s mouth, and his father’s voice in his head reminded him that this was a witch, one who deserved to die. But Arthur... He didn’t think that was right. So, when the door came flying off its hinges with a loud clang and Ilyna’s all too familiar scream, Arthur didn’t turn away from the blatant display of magic. She swayed on her feet, and Arthur reached around Merlin to gently clasp her shoulder.

“This will make escaping easier.” He couldn’t bring himself to smile at her, who used magic, but the look of utter relief on her bruised face made his inner turmoil seem worth it. She squared herself up and marched through the doorway, bringing Merlin with her.  
“Merlin, brother, you have to wake up.” She shook him lightly and Merlin groaned, blinking uncertainly at her.

“Arthur, you walk ahead, I can carry him. Just don’t go too far.” She was pleading with him, and he flinched at the idea of her pleading for her life as his father had her killed. But he was not his father.  
“Right. Merlin, don’t you let us down.” He clapped the manservant on the shoulder, startling him slightly more upright before starting forward.

“Go left.” Ilyna’s voice whispered behind him, and for once he did as he was told, creeping slowly down the left passageway and listening for signs of other people.

“Clear.” He whispered back, starting forwards. A hand suddenly gripped in his tunic and pulled him backwards, and a crooked finger appeared at his lips.

“Not clear.” Her voice wasn’t even a whisper and as Arthur slowly turned, he noticed the two guards at the end of the passage. They had swords, and spears, but guards didn’t often fight with spears. The king nodded to her and she gently pressed Merlin against the wall. With the man leaning on the wall instead of Ilyna, she was free to fight. Another quick gesture and they were rushing forwards, their fists crashing into the guard’s temples before the men could even cry out. They crumpled to the ground, but Ilyna did too, her bloodied hand clasped to her neck.

“Fuck... Arthur... It burns...” She whimpered, curling up into herself on the ground. An all too familiar ache in his heart had him gently pulling her to her feet and into a brief hug.

“Just a little longer Ilyna.” He whispered into her hair and they pulled away. She looked steeled again, but she was swaying dangerously as Merlin rested on her again. They stumbled onwards, taking so many lefts and rights Arthur lost all awareness of where he was, but Ilyna led him confidently onwards, whispered directions through the tunnelled maze.

And then they stumbled into the throne room, and all hell broke loose.

Excalibur sat against the throne, propped there like any other sword, placed directly behind the man who sat in the throne. The Giant was... Well, giant, but Arthur still ran full speed towards him with every intention of getting his sword back. The huge man threw a punch at him and Arthur barely ducked, rolling and grasping his sword. He had no choice but to grab it by the blade, slicing his palm as he grasped it firmly, tugging it away from the man it didn’t belong to. Too distracted by the sword, he didn’t notice the huge hand until it was clasped tightly around his throat, closing off all his airways instantly. He gasped, scrambling fruitlessly against the other man, his head pounding with the familiar sound of his own racing heartbeat. His vision was beginning to black out, until suddenly the pressure was gone, and he dropped to the floor with a clatter of metal. When his vision cleared, he assumed he was imagining things because there was Merlin, Arthur’s old sword in hand, slashing the daylights out of the giant as the man threw punches at the smaller. Merlin’s actions were sluggish and delayed, and Arthur realised he was buying him time to act. He pushed himself upright, Excalibur finally where it belonged, and threw himself into the fight with all his strength. Merlin staggered sideways but didn’t hit the floor, and Arthur lost sight of him as the Giant bore down on him again. Determined not to die to some nameless thug, the king of Camelot parried and struck, dodged and weaved and slashed.  
The giant had drawn a sword, but he relied on his strength, and with a well aimed blow to the giant’s stomach, the bigger man fell, leaving a gasping Arthur to search frantically for his friends.

Who were suspended from the grounds by their throats, their eyes rolled back.

Letting out a pained yell, Arthur rushed the other man, his arms burning with exertion and his left arm hanging limply at his side. The element of surprise had Arthur barrelling into the man and sending him toppling, dropping the siblings in a heap on the ground. Unable to spare even a moment to worry about them, Arthur threw himself into the battle, clashing swords with the man over and over. The brute was winning, shoving him backwards towards his fallen friend, and Arthur got the bad feeling the giant wasn’t dead. He blocked as strongly as he could, but his feet skidded on the smooth stone, giving him little to no purchase. Slamming back into a wall, Arthur tried to throw in another attack, but was easily disarmed. The brute raised his sword to deal a killing blow to Arthur and-

His arm never fell. The brute’s eyes widened almost comically before he fell sideways, a dagger deep between his shoulder blades. Arthur raised his eyes to meet Merlin’s, and the man gave him a grim nod, spinning on his heel and stumbling over to where Ilyna had slumped against a wall, her hand clasped to her side, covered in blood. Coughing, Arthur limped after him, picking up Excalibur as he went.

“Stage three.” Ilyna said when he was close enough. The king looked around the room, at the blood on the floors and the wall, not knowing how much was his or hers or the men’s, and he nodded to his new witch friend.

“Stage three.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you think!


	8. Chapter 8

Stage four consisted of arguing, passing out and a lot of blood, it turned out. 

Ilyna was leaning heavily on her brother, who in turn was leaning on Arthur, who was forced to hold himself upright or they’d never get out. There was no telling when the Giant would wake, they had to be out of here quickly, or as quickly as one could move when wounded. Arthur’s arm felt strangely numb, and he felt a distinct burning in his shoulder, but when he looked to Ilyna, his pain suddenly looked like child’s play. The girl’s neck was entirely purple veins of poison that had begun spreading to her cheeks, leaving the freckled skin pale and sickly. Her eyes were only open enough to see the ground in front of them, so much so that she tripped over air frequently. He could only base his knowledge of the wound in her side on how she was holding herself, favouring her right side, but he had seen how much blood was on her palm, the wound was a fatal one. But there was a soft golden glow about her, which Arthur assumed was her magic, and the minor cuts on her face and arm had begun to fade, creating little scars and blood pockets in her grimy skin. However, he got the sense that it was weakening her at the same time, sapping any leftover energy she may have retained from her nap. She was awake, that’s all Arthur could ask for.

Merlin tensed behind him, and suddenly he was pushed against the wall, and Ilyna hit the opposite wall with only slightly less force. Neither dared protest, not when Merlin looked like a caged animal, eyes wide open and filled with fear that didn’t belong there.  
And then there were a handful of guards marching straight past them, not seeing the three shadowy forms pressed hard against the walls, not hearing breaths as the trio held them, sharing panicked glances. Then suddenly it was over, and Merlin pulled Arthur to his feet.

“Sorry.” He whispered, but before Arthur could reply, his servant was gone, arms wrapping around his sister, holding her upright. He didn’t want to question Merlin’s sudden consciousness, silently thanking whatever gods had listened to him that Merlin was at least vaguely back.

“Can you carry her? At this pace, we’ll starve before we escape.” Arthur was too exhausted to care about how harsh his words were. He was cold, and a little damp, bloody and in pain. And his emotions were having a war in his brain. With his hands shaking like a colt’s legs, Merlin scooped his younger sister into his arms and staggered slightly, catching himself against the wall with his leg. But then he was steeling himself, marching forwards, leaving Arthur to scramble to match the new pace, a quick walk that was so brisk they were nearly running. Everyone was too tired for running.

“Merlin... I feel sick...” Ilyna’s voice broke the silence, a weak, breathy sound that escaped her lips seemingly without her consent. The purple had nearly spread to her eye now, and it was distinctly bloodshot when she forced them open. Merlin’s breathing hitched, but he said nothing, staggering forward. Arthur wrapped his good arm around his servant’s waist, no time or need to worry about personal space, and with each others support, their pace picked up again.

Down the hallway were two huge doors, an entrance that would be their exit if they could get past the seven or eight guards surrounding them. They pressed back into an alcove and Merlin set his sister down gently, kissing her clammy temple. His blue eyes glazed slightly, slipping closed for a moment, but then he was blinking determinedly at Arthur.

“I’ll cause a distraction, you and Ilyna take out as many guards silently as possible.” He heaved a tired breath, and before Arthur could reach past her to grab Merlin, the man had rushed into the middle of the room, sprinting full tilt towards the door with shocking speed. Ilyna let out a pained whine, hiccupping quietly, and Arthur could do nothing except press his old sword tighter in her grip and slip around the back wall. He snuck steadily closer, and as the guard leaned to stare at Merlin, Arthur clapped a hand over his mouth and stabbed him as Ilyna did the same, swaying slowly on the spot. Two more guards fell silently, and then they were spotted, two men turning from where Merlin had fallen to his knees. 

For a moment, Arthur thought they were going to die. 

And then a scream tore through the hallway, and Arthur’s vision whited out as he was thrown onto the ground, his injured arm pinned beneath him.

Possibly days later, Arthur stirred, his head pounding like the worst hangover of his life, without any fond memories to accompany it. Groaning, he forced himself upright, his arm protesting blatantly to any movement by making him collapse again. Eventually, he forced himself to his feet, scanning the scene. Around him, bodies were scattered, their limbs in strange new positions against the walls, one man even hanging from the stairwell. But, more importantly to Arthur, Ilyna sat sobbing on the floor, her hand clamped in her unkempt hair as she tried to steady herself. As he drew nearer, he noticed her ragged breaths, the way her shoulders were quivering. In fact, the way her whole body was quivering, vibrating with a panicked energy he hadn’t seen often.

Sir Leon sometimes had moments like these, Arthur remembered, after particularly awful battles or harrowing events.  
Unsure how to help but knowing he had to try, the King of Camelot crouched, sitting down on the cold stone before her, far away so he wouldn’t alarm her, but nearby to provide a presence. As it turned out, he hardly had to do a thing, because suddenly she was throwing herself at him, a sobbing mess of a girl, barrelling him over and leaving them curled up on the floor. Neither cared, as Arthur shushed her gently, petting her hair and extracting her fingers from it, raking his own through the strands instead. Eventually, she calmed, her sobs fading to soft hiccups and her weary tears replaced with a tentative smile.

“Sorry Arthur... I just... Last time I was here.... I just killed people again...” She shivered again as she spoke, and instead of replying, Arthur pressed a reassuring hand to her back as she uncurled slowly, and when she climbed to her feet he followed suit, sticking close by her side in case one of her memories returned. They found Merlin waiting just outside with Rhodall and Llanrei, and for a mere second Arthur wondered how the gods the horses were there, but then he stopped caring, and he was embracing his mare, and maybe shedding a kingly tear at some point that neither of the siblings commented on.

They all paused for barely a second to take in their freedom, taste the evening air, but it was too long, and the giant came rushing from the castle. Ilyna turned, sluggish and slow, barely reacting as the entire bulk of the man slammed into her, sending her sprawling in the dirt. Arthur tried hard to reign in his emotions, he really did, but then he was moving, and Excalibur was protruding from the man’s chest.   
And everything stopped once more when the huge form crumpled to the floor, and Ilyna cried in earnest.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They finally escape what had been hell for them, and Merlin finally remembers the poor horses

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is this proofread? No  
> Is this probably just Merlin whump? Yeah
> 
> Thank you so so much for all of your support, those of you who I see here often or even those who only have one chapter they like, I love you for commenting

To say Merlin was feeling like death would be an understatement at this point. As it turns out, being magic incarnate made for some horrible reactions to magic preventing cuffs. It felt like everything he was had been snatched away from him, who he could be, what he had to do, his destiny. For a frightening moment, he had forgotten everything in his life that he had cared about.

Then Arthur had kicked him in the ribs, literally shoving him back into his mind. And it was a good thing too, because although staying upright was challenging, it would be far more challenging if he didn’t know where his feet were.

It was strange, knowing that not only was Arthur not pushing Ilyna away, but he was protecting her from harm despite her magic, Merlin had protected her for so long he wasn’t sure how to let another handle the responsibility. Not that he was given much choice, with the way the world tilted dangerously sideways every other step and any noise at all had his ears ringing like he’d just been hit in the head with a training sword. He could only watch from outside of his body as he was shook about, strangled by a huge fist, couldn’t flinch when fighting broke out around him. His body reacted on its own when it saw Arthur in danger, in fact, the only time he could move was when Ilyna’s magic threw him headlong into a wall. He’d forgotten her magic was quite so violently untamed. His body finally began responding as he pulled himself upright and stumbled out of the castle in search of the horses. He whistled softly and Rhodall came trotting towards him, tossing his head angrily and scuffing his hooves on the ground.

“I’m sorry, I know. I didn’t mean to be gone so long.” He sat a shaky hand on the horse’s snout and laughed softly to himself when he got a huff from the stallion. Eventually, he let go of his horse, but Rhodall seemed to want something. He trotted off towards the trees and huffed loudly at Merlin until he took the hint and followed, stumbling along after him.  
Rhodall led him out and into a patch of grass, where Llamrei was attempting to reach for grass to eat only to be tugged back by the reins Arthur had tied around the tree.

Shit. Two days or something he’d been trapped there, and she hadn’t been fed once. Unless... He turned to Rhodall, who was giving the mare gentle, affectionate butts with his head and Merlin relaxed. The stallion had taken care of her, but she still needed releasing. He tugged at the knot, struggling to untie it with his trembling fingers, but eventually the stubborn thing came loose, and Llamrei let out an appreciative whinny. Merlin stopped for a moment and took a deep breath, swaying on his feet as he examined the angry red welts on his wrists. The skin beneath the cuffs was raw and painful, burnt somehow by the power caught in the metal. He hated these damn cuffs, whoever made them knew exactly how to make them agonising. Itching at his raw skin, he began the stumble back to the castle, once again forgetting about the horses. Until Rhodall grabbed his neckerchief in his teeth and gently pulled Merlin beside him, not letting go until Merlin grasped what he was doing and leant heavily on his flank. He made it back to the castle just as the king and his sister began to stir, and his breaths came easier then, knowing they were both mostly safe.

“Merlin?” that was Arthur’s voice, and the warlock turned, stumbling like a colt until he could wrap shaky arms around Arthur and sigh. He didn’t have enough energy left to care about awkwardness or proprietary, he needed to feel that Arthur was alive. His shaking fingers rested at Arthur’s throat, tracking his racing pulse as it slowed and eventually took up a steady rhythm, and the Kings Arms looped around his middle. They were both relaxing into it when there was a loud clearing of a throat to their right, and Merlin jumped away like he’d been burned. Well, he had, but not by Arthur.

“Yes, I am fine, thanks for asking.” Ilyna snapped, but then they were all laughing again, relieved that they were all mostly in one piece. It was a mess, trying to get on the horses, but once Merlin had settled on his stallion with his sister pressed to his back, everything felt right again.

Especially when Arthur picked up an argument. Then everything really, really felt right.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They’re heading home .
> 
> Rhodall is a scarily sentient horse, and the king starts to realise just how wrong his father was about magic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all the support on this story, I love you all and I’m so glad you love Ilyna as much as I do

Despite both riders being unconscious, Rhodall trotted obediently towards Camelot, not straying from the path despite all the forest life around them that was grabbing Llanreis attention. Arthur was suddenly very grateful for the obedient stallion, each time the half blind horse nudged them back on track and whinnied softly into the deafening silence. 

“I think I’ll stop and make camp.” Arthur muttered softly, and immediately Rhodall slowed his pace and huffed softly in his direction. The king chuckled, realising that although it seemed utterly ridiculous, the horse was trying to comfort him. He steered them into a small clearing that he recognised from his border patrols and slid from the saddle, stumbling slightly on aching legs, and turned to the gentle horse, who was stood waiting for him, blinking at him with one soft brown eye and lightly scuffing his hoof on the grass. Gently looping his arms around her middle, Arthur pulled Ilyna from the stallions back with as much care as he could, his knees buckling slightly despite her being too light to be healthy. He set her on the ground, propping her against a tree and wrapping his cloak around her. She curled into the warmth slightly, and Arthur struggled not to smile at the sight of her finally being able to relax. His manservant was more difficult to get off the stallion, but with some help from Rhodall, Merlin too was tucked up against the tree, his head on Ilyna’s shoulder. Arthur set about unrolling their bedrolls, immediately making the choice to give his to Ilyna for the night. Too exhausted and weary to go and collect firewood, Arthur settled the siblings into more comfortable positions to sleep, resigning himself to a sleepless night while they gathered their strength. 

Thankfully, they weren’t attacked that night, so Arthur dozing off wasn’t too catastrophic. It still made him groggy and confused when a soft huff of breath woke him before the sun had even touched the clouds. He forced himself to his feet, reaching for his sword, but he relaxed again when it was only Rhodall, the young stallion watching him with a strange sort of amusement, blinking at him slowly, completely unbothered by Excalibur. Arthur took a moment to worry if the horse was aware of his thoughts, but he quickly dismissed the ridiculous idea. He stroked the horse’s soft nose, his fingers brushing over his fluffy ears and down again, the motions calming his wild thoughts without him even realising it. The stallion did, huffing at his hair and sending the gold strands in different directions. And Arthur couldn’t help a soft chuckle at this brilliant horse. 

“Right then. If you could wake up my lazy manservant?” by the time he’d finished his sentence, the horse was already nibbling merlin’s hair, making him stir with a strangled yelping sound that had Arthur chuckling softly again. The king untied Llanrei reigns, turning to wake up Ilyna.

Only to pause in horror.  
Her bedroll was clearly used, sleep rustled and tangled, but there was no sign of the girl herself. Forcing himself to remain calm, he checked the clearing for signs of a struggle. There were none, but when he checked their belongings both the waterskins were missing. He relaxed again.

“Merlin, make sure the horses are fed, I’ll be back in a moment.” Before merlin could question him, he headed towards the small river that ran nearby, hoping he’d connected the correct dots. Sure enough, Ilyna sat with her feet in the water, her eyes closed and seeming completely at peace. The only sign of anything unusual was the golden tendrils in the water that mimicked the poisonous veins across her neck and face, and a faint glow beneath her eyelids. Arthur found himself completely unafraid despite the blatant display of magic all around him, and when her eyes finally slipped open and fixed on him with a wide, startled look, Arthur smiled reassuringly at her and came to sit beside her.

“Do you feel any better?” he asked softly, nudging her side lightly with his elbow. She didn’t flinch, but the gold flared up in her eyes again, and Arthur got the distinct impression she didn’t know it was happening. 

“I do actually. Although this” she pointed to her neck, where the purple was still steadily spreading down across her shoulder and sighed “this still hurts like seven hells. I get the feeling that’s a Serkets stinger that’s embedded in my neck. I’m lucky to be alive.”  


“You know, your brother survived a Serkets sting once.” He said quietly, remembering the week where merlin had dropped anything and everything, frequently collapsed and even fell asleep in Arthur’s bed once. Arthur hadn’t figured it out until they were all getting ready for training and Merlin stretched, revealing the distinct scar at the base of his spine. He’d never talked to merlin about it, but that didn’t mean he’d forgotten.

“He must have had help.” She replied, impossibly quieter. She didn’t sound sure of that, but Arthur didn’t press her, he simply dipped the tip of his boot into the river, watching as the gold faded and the water began to flow like it usually did again.

“He’s an impossible man, your brother. It doesn’t surprise me that you survived everything. Your mother once killed a man in full armour with a broom.” He chuckled to himself at the memory of Hunith beating Kanens men down until they couldn’t stand with an old kitchen broom.

“She really did that huh.” She laughed, her lips twitching up into a small smile.

“Oh yes. There was a fight in Ealdor, and she must have taken down at least as many men as I did, if not more. That woman is brutal with a broom.” He was proud of himself when Ilyna nearly toppled into the river because she was laughing so hard. For now, he ignored the way her left eye slipped closed again, the way the poison left her skin pale and ghostly. For now, he focused on the way a small golden tendril had wrapped around his wrist, creating a warm feeling that spread up his arm and into his chest warming him from the inside out and making him feel calm, peaceful. If this was the true ‘evil’ of magic, then Arthur decided his father was very wrong about the nature of magic. Maybe, it was a weapon that could be wielded as they wished. Whatever the case, Ilyna’s magic had no qualms about doing as it pleased around the king. Because, as much as he wanted to believe she had control over it, there was no way the proud girl would ever let herself showcase such gentleness and affection, but Arthur would take what he could get. Already she felt like the sister he hadn’t had since morgana-

No. that line of thought wasn’t allowed. Especially not now. Instead of dwelling on the dark connotations of letting Ilyna get so close to his heart, he instead offered her his hand as he got to his feet, brushing the mud from his helplessly dirty clothing with his other hand. She tugged herself upright with surprising strength, and all the magic evaporated as she came back to the real world around them. Although she did have to lean heavily on him as they walked back, carrying a waterskin each, her magic had done its job well, and she was well enough to pull herself up into the saddle. She looked like she was going to be sick afterwards, but she had a proud smile on her face, offering merlin a hand up as the still drowsy servant stumbled about, his arms hanging almost as heavy as his eyelids. She let out an undignified snort of laughter when Merlin walked into Rhodall’s flank, but the moment her brother was tucked against her in the saddle, she checked him over like an anxious mother. Arthur saddled his mare, petting her mane appreciatively, and spurred her into a steady trot, unsurprised when Rhodall followed without a worded command. 

They rode in silence for the rest of that day, the siblings having fallen asleep again as the sun began to dip despite being the ones who had been allowed to rest, and Arthur found himself missing the aimless chatter. If there was one thing he didn’t mind about being king, it was the endless talking around him all the time. He hated the cold silence, it made him feel watched, hyper alert to all sounds. But, yet again, a horse was his saviour, because the clever young stallion had begun to neigh every time they passed a bird. Arthur knew the horse was unbothered by the creatures, but he reached over in his saddle to gently pat his nose. 

“It’s okay. We’ll be back in Camelot soon, and then we’ll be interrogated by my court until we can’t even stand anymore. I suppose I’ll have to find Ilyna a place to stay. The castle is plenty big enough, I’m sure there will be room. We’ll need to talk about controlling her magic. Unfortunately, it’s still very illegal. Maybe I could send her to live with druids? No... Merlin would never let her out of his sight and I’m not having that clumsy oaf stumbling after her like a lost puppy all the time. I’m sure Gaius can make her a drought of some sort.” He paused for breath, and Rhodall whinnied softly, almost as though he understood what the rambling king was on about. Arthur chuckled. He’d only been in that cell a few days at most and he’d clearly lost his wits, he was talking to a horse about his problems! 

Llanrei let out an indignant huff when he stopped petting her, and that settled the matter of who would get the most credit when they returned to Camelot. The poor abandoned horses, who would be fine after a couple of days care by the stable boys. He’d have to apologise to the boy he’d yelled at on his way out. Not something he did well. Maybe he’d just pay him? That would work. Arthur rubbed his aching shoulder, examining the long scar across his palm with curiosity. Already, the bloody gash was nothing but a pale line, and Arthur had a feeling it was something to do with the golden magic tendrils that were everywhere again. But Ilyna was asleep. This was magic, acting on its own to heal the man that would have it purged. Arthur sighed softly. His father was blinded by his rage, there was so much more to magic than he saw, so much that could have been learned and practiced. 

Arthur was not too proud to admit it was beautiful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quarantine really got me posting like every other day huh


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They finally get back to Camelot, and introductions are made. Ilyna takes a liking to Gwen, and poor Leon has to put up with everything. Again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A longer chapter this time

Leon’s evening patrol quite literally charged headfirst into them when they got close enough to Camelot, after a full day’s riding where Arthur talked to a horse. The senior Knight, much as his instincts were usually the sharpest, hadn’t noticed them until his horse bucked back in surprise and toppled him onto the ground as he nearly came up on Rhodall’s blind side. The ruckus started Ilyna awake, and there was a gold flash, then a tense silence. Safe thanks to the magic cushion that had stopped his fall, Leon blinked slowly, his mind clearly struggling to process what had just occurred.

“Uh... Sire?” he settled on, eventually, when they had all finished awkwardly staring each other down from their various positions. Finally, Arthur slumped, sliding down off Llanrei’s back and offering his uninjured hand for the man to pull himself upright. But the golden waves held him down, and the King sighed.

“Ilyna, he’s not hurt, let him go.” He tried his best not to scold her, but he was tired, aching and quite frankly done with this entire situation, from the ridiculous kidnapping right down to the out of control witch who’d saved his life so many times he’d lost track. The magic retreated only slightly, enough that Leon could stand, and then it was anxiously hovering around him, letting out a soft, warm glow as it tried to check him over. To his credit, the Knight didn’t even flinch, only raised his eyebrows at Arthur then gestured to where Ilyna was leaning heavily against the stallion, her eyes glowing gold, with Merlin checking her over. Unable to think of a solution, Arthur simply shook his head, and Leon got the message.

“The rest of you, go on ahead, I will escort his highness back to Camelot. One of you send a message to Gaius, he will have patients. And alert Lady Gwen, she will be relieved that there are no casualties.” He commanded the other knights with such ease, that Arthur once again found himself grateful for the man’s help.

“Ah. Ilyna, was it? If you could politely release me? I need to check on the King’s wellbeing.” Leon raised his eyebrow into his hair, and Arthur held back a badly timed laugh at how well he was handling the sudden appearance of a witch with the king.

“I apologise sir, but I have no clue how to do that.” She panted back, sounding genuinely exhausted. Arthur turned to her, admittedly worried, and found her pale, with a thin sheen of sweat on her drawn cheeks. He sighed.

“Leon, there’s honestly far too much to attempt to explain right now. I’m exhausted and aching, can we please just get to Camelot and deal with formalities later?” he realised he sounded like a baby, but he didn’t care right now, he just wanted a hot meal and his bed, where he could sleep everything away and finally think more clearly. But the world had ideas, and Ilyna’s magic didn’t want them to use their energy, so suddenly a king, his senior Knight, his manservant and a witch were in the royal Chambers, tangled up in the blankets.   
And Arthur burst out laughing, his stomach starting to hurt when Ilyna whispered an eloquent “fuck” and then elected to stay right where she was, the wrong way around on the bed with her head dangling slightly over the end. Merlin had rolled himself onto the floor, and Leon looked so done with everything Arthur was impressed he hadn’t fallen on his own sword yet. Finally, he calmed down, and sighed, relaxing back into his pillows, not worrying about the girl dangling upside down for now.

“Leon? Order a servant to have three hot meals and a bath drawn. I think we deserve it. Then you can retire for the night.” He huffed, barely gathering the energy to kick off his boots.

“Right, of course sire. I do, however, have one question.” Leon looked uncomfortable, but who could blame him after what had just transpired.

“Ask away, Sir Knight.” He waved at him absently, his eyes sliding shut.

“What are we going to do about the girl?” although the question was asked softly, with no malice, Arthur may well have been punched in the gut by Leon’s words for how much he hated hearing them. Which was ridiculous considering the law, but even more ridiculous was to consider hurting her after all she’d done to protect him.

“Listen, Leon. I understand you were in my father’s service before mine, and thus are set in his ways, but she has shown no ill intent towards any one of us so far. In fact, she’s gone as far as to attempt healing me. So, I think it is fair to treat her as any other person who saved the life of the king.” He spoke just as softly, but his words held power, and he knew it. He’d just erased everything his father said, because he believed it to be right. His shoulders sagged, and suddenly there was a warm hand on his shoulder. He blinked groggily at his oldest friend.

“I agree sire. I will see to it that food for a hero, fresh clothes and only the best physician is sent to your Chambers.” Leon offered a small smile, and Arthur couldn’t help himself when he grinned back. As Leon was leaving, he turned, chuckling softly.

“Oh, and Arthur? There are leaves in your hair.” And with that he was gone, leaving Arthur to chuckle into the darkness of his Chambers like a madman.

“Ilyna, you should really get up.” He prodded her with his foot, receiving a drawn-out whine for his efforts as she forced herself upright and then flopped again, sprawled across the end of the bed with her arm across her chest.

“Yeah and you should shut up, but here we are.” She huffed through a yawn, and Arthur rolled his eyes, simply too tired to deal with her lack of respect. He doubted he’d care anyway.

“How are you merlin? Oh yes I’m fine, thanks for asking.” A grouchy voice sounded from the floor, and they both looked over the edge of the bed to find merlin laying exactly how he’d landed, in an awkward sprawl across the stone. Laughing quietly, but trying to regain his composure, Arthur reached down and tugged Merlin into a sitting position by the arm. The manservant’s hiss of pain had them pausing, the atmosphere suddenly tense.

“No, you aren’t, are you?” the king asked quietly, tracing the scratched raw skin just above one iron cuff, where nails had clawed away at the sore, burned area they could reach.

“Don’t worry about it Arthur.” The manservant smiled tightly, the mirth not touching his eyes. He forced himself upright, Arthur’s arm falling from his shoulder, and the king watched as for once in his life Merlin did his chores without asking.

“What, worry about you?” he scoffed, leaning back on his pillows and blinking slowly. The adrenaline was beginning to wear off, and it left Arthur exhausted, his arm burning with dull aches and his cheek pulsing with a distinct bruise. But he felt calm, safer than he’d been in days. Clearly the girl felt the same because Ilyna had hardly even moved, and he nudged her gently, relieved when she hit him in the arm and grumbled about ‘too loud shut up.’

A timid knock at the door interrupted Merlin’s useless sorting of socks, and the man stumbled into the table on the way to open it. He swung the door open to a timid young lady, who curtsied clumsily with the multiple trays in her hands before practically shoving them at Merlin. Chuckling warmly, he took the trays and set them on the table, surprisingly not dropping anything even as he turned around to smile at her.

“Thank you.” He said quietly, and the lady curtsied again before scurrying away, leaving Merlin to nudge the door with his foot and set the table.

“If you pair of lazy asses want food, you’ll have to come over here.” He snarked, and Arthur found himself relaxing at the insolence.

“You see Merlin, that’s where you’re wrong, I’m the king, I don’t have to do anything.” But despite his protests, Arthur dragged himself to his feet with a grunt of effort, limping over to the table and practically collapsing into his favourite chair. When Merlin set the food in front of him, he shot him a tight smile, trying not to look at the thick shackles still around his wrists, rubbing away at the skin. His manservant moved away and sat in the chair nearest to him, on his right, as he always did when they were alone, and Arthur began to eat, struggling to remain vaguely proper and not jut shovel his food into his mouth. Two days were plenty long enough without it.  
He paused.

“Ilyna?” he asked softly into the silence, unsurprised when he got no response. He put down his fork carefully and walked back over to the bed, finding her curled up at the bottom of the bed where they’d left her, her chest rising and falling in a shallow pattern and her cheek pressed against her palm. Careful not to jostle her awake, Arthur gently rotated her until her head was resting on the huge pile of pillows on his bed, tucking his blankets up around her shoulders until she was smothered in Pendragon red. He smiled, brushed her hair out of her eyes with his finger and returned to his meal, refusing to look Merlin in the eye despite how huge his blue eyes had gone.

“You can blink now Merlin.” He pressed, nudging his leg with his foot, smirking when Merlin jumped out of his skin, scowling at the king. A knock came at the door, and Arthur called a distracted “enter” then four maids carrying buckets of hot water were pouring into the room, followed by Gwen elegant despite being only in her nightclothes, sleepless bags under her eyes, behind her was Gaius, and Merlin leapt from his seat, wrapping his arms tightly around the old man and burying his face in his shoulder. Arthur rose to meet Gwen, and for a moment she curtsied to him, but then her arms were around him, pulling him close, and all the tightly wound pressure in his body eased. She rested a warm, gentle hand on his cheek, her thumb wiping away some of the layers of grime there. The maids scurried from the room, the door clanging behind them, and it startled Ilyna awake again, and she blinked at them slowly, like she didn’t quite see them. Arthur untangled himself reluctantly from Gwen’s embrace and instead crossed to Ilyna, stopping near to the bed, but not too close.

“It’s okay Ilyna. This is Queen Guinevere of Camelot, and our Court physician Gaius. They’re both your friends, they won’t hurt Merlin.” He watched with relief as recognition and understanding returned to her eyes, and she struggled into a seated position, her weight mostly held up by pillows.

“Then I should introduce myself. I’m Ilyna of Ealdor, I’m Merlin’s sister.” She smiled softly; her pale complexion slightly brightened by a light flush of fever he hadn’t noticed earlier.

“I’m Gwen, its wonderful to meet you Ilyna.” Although the Queen was smiling warmly there were clearly questions she needed answering, and she looked horrified at the wounds all over the girl. But she didn’t flinch away, instead walked over and wrapped her arms loosely around her in welcome. Arthur struggled to hide a pleased smile, a small part of him singing that they were already getting along. He turned to look for Merlin, relieved when he found him sat back in his chair, Gaius checking him over despite the man insisting nothing was wrong. Gwen’s hand was back on his shoulder, leading him sternly but lovingly and pushing him into his own chair, then sitting beside him on his other side. He rested his head on her shoulder and allowed his eyes to close for barely a moment before he blinked them open again.

“Ilyna if you can walk, there’s a bath behind that screen over there where you can wash.” He offered, knowing it was probably cooling already but also doubting that she would mind.

“Are you sure? I really don’t- “

“I insist.” He smiled, and she carefully unravelled herself from the blankets and swiftly disappeared behind the screen. There was a quiet splash and then a sigh as she finally got to relax into warmth for once.

“Gaius? How’s Merlin?” the king turned his attention back to Merlin now he knew Ilyna was okay as she could be.

“He’s fine” Merlin grumbled, only to snap his mouth shut when Gaius levelled him with a glance.

“Merlin has sustained minor damage around his eye and cheek from a hard hit, and a small head wound. Those cuffs worry me. I suspect they are coated with a poison. We must find a way to remove them as quickly as possible.” The old man sighed wearily, and Arthur felt a gnawing guilt at keeping him awake and stressed this late.

“In the morning, I will study them in more detail.” Arthur replied. Gaius nodded, and without Arthur even having to ask, the old man started patching him up. He applied a foul-smelling poultice to his cuts, and an equally disgusting salve to his bruises, but he paused at his shoulder.

“Sire, I’ll have to set this back into place, this is a severely dislocated shoulder.” He sounded apologetic, and Arthur waved him off, gritting his teeth and digging his nails into his leg. Long fingers pressed against his shoulder, then suddenly a whole hand pushed into him, forcing the joint to crack back into place. The king let out an undignified yell, but none in the room made a sound about it as he panted for breath, everything throbbing with a wild energy. He forced himself back into an unstable sense of calm and breathed out slowly through his nose.

“Everything alright?” a groggy voice asked, and Ilyna’s face peeked around the screen, her eyebrows scrunched in concern. Clearly, his yell had startled her because he’d never seen her puzzled before. He offered her a smile.

“I apologise. Gaius was resetting my shoulder.” She nodded and disappeared behind the screen again, satisfied for now with his answer. The room was quiet for a moment as Gaius worked, aside from Ilyna’s occasional hisses of pain from across the room. But then Gwen broke it, her hand heavy on Arthur’s elbow.

“Arthur, what happened? You’ve been gone a week, and you return wounded and... Well with company.” Although her voice was soft, her worry rang clear, louder than any amount of shouting. He rubbed his eyes in exhaustion.  
“We....”

“It was my fault.” Merlin interrupted him; his eyes shadowed with something dark that didn’t belong there. “I got a distressed letter from my sister, who believed she was in danger. I went to find her, and Arthur followed. We were ambushed.” He hung his head like he had anything to be ashamed of, and his shoulders shook with the effort of reigning in his emotions. 

“What this idiot means is he went to do something stupid and I decided not to let him die horribly. It backfired somewhat though.” Arthur huffed, sharing a teasing glare with his manservant, who relaxed at the prodding. The queen, used to their antics over the years, rolled her eyes affectionately. 

“I’m just glad you’re alright. We’ll need an official report in the morning so I can send out the knights. Ill assume there were no survivors?” although it wasn’t asked coldly, a shiver went up Arthur’s spine and he nodded slowly, scratching his head with his uninjured hand. Gaius looped a sling around his neck and carefully slipped his arm into it, and then the king was free to relax. Well, to an extent, because Ilyna then proceeded to – literally- roll out of the bath, landing in a tangle of limbs and the cloth she was using to dry herself, struggling to free herself from the ridiculously tangled fabric. Gwen stifled a laugh and Arthur struggled not to plant his face into his hands, wondering how on earth he was going to adjust Ilyna to life in the castle if she couldn’t bathe herself without disaster. She scrambled to her feet, only to slip on the puddle she’d just made and end up flat on her back. Even Gaius was stifling amusement at the poor girl, especially when Merlin joined the bundle of clumsiness in an attempt to free her, and both siblings disappeared behind the screen, followed by a distinct splash and then spluttering. 

The king massaged his temples. Now there were two intensely clumsy Merlin’s in his chambers. Nothing was ever going to get done.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i crave comments <3


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ilyna has already nestled her way into everyone's hearts, and shes barely been there a day

“Sorry.” Ilyna's face appeared again, blushing in embarrassment as she tried to avoid looking any of them in the eyes.

“Quite alright. When you’re ready, there should be a clean tunic and breeches over the screen.” He glared at his manservant and Merlin scrambled to the wardrobe, tugging out one of Arthur's older tunics, and some breeches he'd grown out of a few months ago. They'd be far too loose on her, but they were better than the scraps shed been wearing before her bath, so it would do for the night.

“Nonsense. She shouldn’t be sleeping in your old clothes.” Gwen levelled him with her best ‘im the queen now shut up’ glare, and he didn’t dare argue as she disappeared behind the screen. There was soft muttering, then even softer giggling, and Gwen came back with a smile. 

“Gaius, I am sure it must be you who checks her. I trust that you’ll be gentle. I’ll go and retrieve one of morganas old nightdresses, and a hairbrush, the poor thing has more tangles than not.” Gwen smiled, but it was clear she meant business, so none of them moved to stop her as she swept from the room and down the hallway.

“so.” Merlin gave him a look, and Arthur glared tiredly back.

“Shut up Merlin.” 

Gwen returned as Arthur was dozing off in his chair, leaving Merlin to open the door for her and close it once she was in the room. She gave him a warm look before going back behind the screen. 

Gaius was frowning distantly at Ilynas neck, but when he turned and met the warlocks eyes, the old man checked merlin over one more time as he was leaving.

“Im glad youre safe my boy, heavens knows what I would have done.” He offered his father figure a cheeky grin.

“Hobbled your way through your rounds probably.” Gaius chuckled, closing the chamber doors behind him without stirring Arthur from his light doze. Merlin was left staring blankly at the screen, unsure what to do with himself now that he couldn’t annoy Arthur. He moved to light the fire with magic, only for a flare of pain to shoot up his wrists, blacking out his vision for a moment as he struggled to breathe through his nose. The cuffs had to go. And soon, because he couldn’t survive on the tiny trickle of magic he could still access. He held his head, trying to stop the ringing in his ears, and slowly slid to the floor, where he stayed, staring blankly into nothingness as he struggled to grip at his magic. Reality was tilting, and nobody called him back.

Ilyna decided she liked the queen of Camelot very quickly. She had been so afraid of embarrassing herself, that in the end she had because she was concentrating too hard on not doing anything stupid. Apparently, Arthur was more than used to it, because the king barely even spared her a glance, even when she made an utter fool of herself. When the queen left, Ilyna was left to wonder how someone of common birth could become a noble. Although, she supposed, if anyone was going to reverse all the laws set for him by his ancestors, it would be Arthur and her troublesome brother. She scrubbed at her legs with cold water, satisfied when her skin became pale again rather than dark with mud and other things. She watched with mild amusement as the water went a murky colour, and when the queen returned, she resisted the urge to hide herself from view.

“I hope you're feeling better?” her voice was so kind and warm, Ilyna found herself relaxing.

“Yes thank you my lady. In fact, I don’t believe I've ever been cleaner.” She struggled to smile because of the swab of gauze over her lip, but clearly her message had gotten across, because Gwen's face lit up in a radiant smile of its own. 

“Please, call me Gwen. I brought you one of the lady Morganas old night dresses, which should fit you well enough. And I thought I could brush some of the knots from your hair, if you’d like?” the queen of Camelot was asking her permission. Ilyna let out a breathless laugh.

“Of cour my L- Gwen.” She blinked drowsily, feeling bonelessly relaxed. No pole stopping her leaning back in the tub, no horrible magic restraining cuff stopping her accidentally warming the water back up again. She heard a gasp and blinked up at Gwen, worried she’d fear her thanks to the magic, but then that radiant smile was back, and Ilyna relaxed, barely flinching when the first knot was tugged. Even with the pinpricks of pain across her scalp, Ilyna soon found herself drifting into darkness again, trusting the queen to take care of her. The last thing she remembered was hooking her finger in a pretty curl of hair and mumbling something as Gwen laughed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> some bonus softness before I start being cruel


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are starting to settle, but clearly there is a lot of work to be done before Ilyna can be trusted alone in Camelot

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I lied, i'm a sucker for this fluff, so i'm gonna keep going

“I dare you to wake her up.”

“I double dare you.”

“Fine but when a flying object hits me its your fault.” Merlin walked over to the bed, his head spinning at the close proximity to his sleeping sister. Her magic was out of control, creating a small tornado as she tossed and turned in her sleep, whimpering and screwing her eyes more tightly closed. A nightmare, which was to be expected after what they had gone through. He didn’t know what they had done to her while he had been too slow, and desperately wanted to reach out with his own magic, but as he was being painfully reminded by the burning wrapped around his wrists, the cuffs were still firmly locked onto him. Instead, he was forced to, literally, leap into a tornado of magic, unable to quell the whirlwind of pillows and red blanket that was attempting to throw him across the room. Why the lazy stupid clotpole prat of a King couldn’t do this himself-

A pillow hit him in the face and landed him on the floor, and he had his answer when he heard a poorly disguised snort of laughter behind him.

“Okay you try!” he shoved Arthur, who tumbled over in pure surprise, only to get wrapped in his own blanket and thrown across the room. Merlin laughed loudly, even when yet another pillow hit him. He really needed these cuffs gone so he could start teaching his sister how to control things like this, the king may be accepting of magic for now, but the fragile bond wouldn’t hold if she continued to throw him across his own chambers. There was a knock on the door and he panicked until he figured out it was Gwens knock. The Queen swept into the room and paused, blinking in shock but quickly clearing her face into a professional calm.

“Arthur dear, care to explain what is happening here? Aside from the obvious tornado in our bed.” She offered Merlin her hand and gently pulled him upright, not letting go of his hand even though he was steady on his feet. Ilyna blinked her eyes open, entire iris molten gold. But then she turned her gaze to the Queen and the tornado died off, freeing Arthur from his blanket tangle and leaving the entire room windswept.

“Honestly dear, if you were hungry all you had to do was ask.” Gwen smiled and as if on cue, three maids hurried into the room, depositing enough food for three Kings on his table. Arthur grinned as his queen helped him up, only to yell ‘Oi!’ when his queen dropped him onto a chair and moved to pick up his manservant instead. She caressed his sharp cheekbone gently as she helped him up before helping him settle at the table. Arthur huffed in annoyance but said nothing against it, knowing his wife would win that particular argument they’d had many times before, appreciated that she was being petty even now because she knew familiarity would settle him. 

Gwen helped Ilyna across the room, sitting her at Merlin’s side and then settling herself beside her husband. Even Merlin looked shocked at the amount of food, and he’d been in Camelot for years, but his small shiver of surprise was nothing compared to the full body shudder that wracked Ilynas form.

“Only eat what you want dear, there is no pressure to eat it all.” The queen shared a meaningful smile with the girl as she ignored the cutlery and ate with her fingers. Arthur gave an involuntary twitch at the lack of manners, having them ingrained in him as a child, but even he didn’t say anything about it. In fact, the king only stirred from inhaling his food when his chicken went flying across the room and smacked into the wall. There was a tense moment of silence, and then he was chuckling as Ilyna hid her face behind her hand, cheeks bright pink.

“How thoughtful of you. I don’t believe I needed that chicken wing over there.” He huffed, rolling his eyes with no real menace. And then the king, the queen, a manservant and a witch burst into companionable laughter.

///

Arthur was, as the king, far too busy to take the day off. So shortly after their breakfast shenanigans he was dressed in a loose fitting tunic and some comfortable breeches, his crown settled on his head, and marching through the hallways. He’d entrusted the care of his two injured charges to Gauis, knowing the old man would take the best care of them.  
He stopped before the council Chambers and took a deep breath, meeting his wife’s eyes nervously.

“You’re their king Arthur, there is nothing they can say against you that matters.” She smiled so warmly at him, looping their fingers together past the gauze on his hand, and suddenly it didn’t matter what his father’s council thought of his decision. It was his, and his alone, and there was nothing to be done about it.

He set foot in the Chambers, and immediately there was an uproar. A deep breath in, and a long one out, and Arthur steeled himself for hours of their arguing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> let me know what you think. do you prefer the fluffy moments, or the angsty ones?


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Merlin protection squad has arrived and are ready to commit murder

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I ended up splitting this chapter, part two of it soon

It felt like years until he was able to leave the council chambers with Gwen and talk with his other advisors. Merlin, being the idiot he was, had left Gaius’ care far too early, but he knew better to argue, so Arthur tugged him into the private hall that contained a far more modest round table, with only his most trusted knights sat around it. By that point, Merlin had stopped protesting, and instead sat at Arthur’s side with a look of awe on his face, seemingly zoned out.

“I’m sure you all have questions about where we’ve been.” He started with the obvious, unsurprised when he received nods.

“We had began to worry, Sire.” He didn’t expect Elyan to speak up, and offered the quiet knight a smile of gratitude. The two had become close after he appointed Gwen as queen, after the initial protective streak had worn down and Elyan realised he only wanted the best for Gwen.

“When we went on a quest to rescue Merlin’s sister, Ilyna, who believed she was in danger, we were ambushed. We do not know the real names of these bandits, however we do know that they have taken prisoners before. Before we got there, Ilyna had already made an attempt at escape, losing her arm and two other prisoners in the process.” The king scanned the table, to find everyone except Merlin watching him with rapt attention.

“Ilyna was born with magic. It would not have been possible to escape without her, and for that I owe her mine, and Merlin’s lives.” Silence followed his statement, and he began to worry, before Lancelot nodded slowly.

“Then she is a hero by all rights. She saved the life of our King, no matter what weapon she used to do so.” Although the words were surprising, Arthur knew Lancelot was not from Camelot. None of his knights were, and he hoped that meant well for Ilyna.

“But there is a small problem. Merlin.” He gently grasped his manservants arm, getting a worryingly lacking response when he raised the cuffs into the light.  
“The key we used to escape does not fit these cuffs, and Ilyna does not have enough control of her powers to concentrate them on such a task. However, whatever poison is on these cuffs, is acting too quickly to be ignored.” He snapped his fingers in front of Merlin’s face and got nothing, so carefully set the man’s hands back in his lap, feeling Lancelots eyes on him the entire time he handled his manservant. 

“Any survivors?” Gwaine finally spoke up from where he was leaned back in his chair, his boots up on the table. It was easier to allow him to sit as he pleased, he gave better advice when comfortable.

“No. Merlin took down one while Ilyna and I took out the guards. It was a close call.” He sighed, kneading his temples.

“It’s not over yet, is it?” Percival surprised everyone by speaking up, and when they all blinked at him in shock, he chuckled quietly. “I saw the girl earlier, thought I didn’t recognise her. But she didn’t look well. There was a strange purple vein that seemed to spread across her face.” He spoke softly, but they all listened closely. Percival saw so much in a passing glance.

“That was how they tortured her for information on Merlin and I.” Finally, Merlin seemed to hear something, shuddering and holding his arms around himself. Privately, Arthur worried for his manservant.

“What was it, Princess?” Gwaine rocked forward on his chair to better stare Arthur in the eye. There was a hushed silence over the room that seemed to hold forever, until Arthur’s deep, pained sigh replaced the sounds of their breathing.

“We believe it to be a serkets sting still embedded in her neck.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How did I do with the knights?


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gwaine isn't too pleased with the new knowledge he's been granted, but Arthur has a plan ready for them all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i am so so sorry for vanishing and leaving you all hanging! I hit a huge block on productivity, and then my entire laptop just,, didn't
> 
> back to usual posting schedule... if my laptop behaves 
> 
> to those of you still here, ilysm

“I'm sorry, what? You’re telling me these sick bastards-“ Gwaine trailed off when Arthur raised his hand in a silencing gesture, a hush falling over the room after the Kings statement. Merlin was physically shaking now, and he didn’t still until Arthur slowly wrapped his arm around his shoulders, wanting to comfort him but not knowing how. It seemed that contact was all he needed, because his breathing steadied somewhat and he blinked at Arthur, looking a little lost.

“There is no known cure for Serket venom, however, I have seen a survivor with my own eyes. We will need to find a way to remove these cuffs from Merlin before we can hope to help Ilyna. This is where I’ll require your assistance.” Looking around him, at this room full of the people he held dearest, he knew they would do anything to help the girl, and felt a tension relax in his shoulders.

“Percival, I believe you grew up with druids. Are you aware of any possible magical cures, or ways to remove these cuffs?” the words felt strange on his lips, and he struggled with the idea of asking the druids for their help after all this time.

“I did. I could ask what they know, they are wise.” The knight looked confident, and happy, and Arthur regretted not giving him the choice of visiting his family sooner.

“Lancelot, I would like you to go with him.” The kind knight had always seemed to be more forgiving towards magic, and he hoped it would do the man good to be around druids.

“Elyan, you have past knowledge of herbs, could you and Guinevere find any herbs that Gaius may need?” Each knight mentioned nodded, his wife gently squeezed his hand, and Arthur let out a soft breath.

“Leon, the other knights are more likely to listen to you than most of us. I need you to assemble a search party of sorts and head to the castle of Fyrien and check for survivors. If you come across any, bring them back for interrogation.” His oldest friend smiled at him, a serious look, but also aimed to put him at ease. Lastly, he turned to Gwaine, who was absently rocking back and forth on his chair, clearly deep in thought. He cleared his throat and the knight snapped to attention, almost falling from his chair in the process.

“Gwaine, I need you to ride out to Ealdor and alert Lady Hunith of what has happened. If she wishes, she is welcome to stay in Camelot with her children.” The knight looked serious, and Arthur knew he’d made the right choice by sending him. Hunith was a wonderful lady, but very defensive of her children, and Gwaine’s natural charm might put her at ease.

“These tasks should take no longer than a week, if you believe it will take longer, send word. Otherwise, I will see all of you in this room in a weeks’ time.” There was a chorus of ‘Yes sires’ as each of his knights left the room, leaving Arthur to finally settle back into his chair, his shoulder aching something rotten after being in one position for so long. He was distracted, didn’t notice the way his eyes slipped closed, his head lolling slightly to rest on Merlin’s as his energy slumped. He didn’t see the way Merlin curled into it, the way his shaking hands finally stilled, resting in Arthur's lap.

He heard soft footsteps, and the sound of a door closing, then he sighed softly, drifting into the blissful quiet of sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm sorry it's short, this is kinda a filler chapter not gonna lie!


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arthur realises that maybe he cares a little more than he thought he did when it comes to his manservant.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi its me, terrible author here
> 
> I've set up a new posting schedule for myself to try and get back on top of my writers block
> 
> Expect updates to this every Saturday!

When he woke, the room was dark, only a sliver of moonlight cast down across the centre of the table, travelling across to where merlin was still peacefully sleeping. The pale light made him look almost ethereal, his sharp cheekbones casting shadows across his face, his skin seeming to glow. Arthur couldn’t move much, but his neck was stiffer than he’d ever felt it, so he had to try relieve it. He tried tilted his neck from side to side, but the muscles barely moved, and he concluded that he had no choice but to wake Merlin. Which was easier said than done, apparently, because his manservant didn’t even twitch when Arthur shook him, or even when he whispered to him. 

Eventually, he managed to stir the man, but even then, it was obvious Merlin was hardly with him. He slung an arm around his waist, lifting him up with ease despite only being able to use one arm. The man was worryingly light, and Arthur barely felt it as they stumbled down the corridors. Gwen must have let them rest, and although sleeping in a chair had given him a stiff neck, he felt far better for getting some sleep. 

  
Merlin let out a sleepy mumble that Arthur couldn’t make out and nuzzled into Arthur’s neck in a way that made his heart melt. He tried hard to ignore the urge to flatten Merlin’s curly hair, but in the end, his free hand moved of its own accord, gently running through the soft strands. Somehow, nobody passed them on the way to his chambers, and they slipped into the room with no further mishaps. 

  
Gentle as he could, he set merlin down on the bed, confused when merlin tensed up, eyebrows furrowed the moment Arthur let go of him. He shook free of the grip around his wrist and walked to his antechamber. The smaller room was never used by Merlin, but Arthur was happy to see that it had been made comfortable for Ilyna. There were fresh sheets and blankets on the bed, and a dying down fire in the small hearth. 

Curled up small in the middle of the bed was the girl in question, her arms tucked up around her head, and her knees close to her chest. She’d made herself small, protecting herself. He added more wood from the small pile beside the hearth, watching the flames lick up around the fresh planks before turning to leave. He left the door open behind him, settling down at his desk to read over the large pile of reports that had built up over his absence.   


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment, even if its just a heart, not to sound needy but I really don't have much motivation at the moment and it means a lot.


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ilyna and Arthur have a much needed talk, and Arthur grows a little more comfortable with the idea of magic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merlins pov will be back next chapter, I just wanted to focus on the budding brother/sister relationship between Arthur and Ilyna for a little moment

A loud scream interrupted his work a few candle marks later, and he reached for his dagger before realising it was coming from the antechamber. He pulled himself out of his chair and slipped into the room as quickly and silently as he could, realising that Ilyna was staring at him like he was the enemy. She was clearly still asleep, her eyes empty, but she was holding a sword. Where she had gotten a sword, Arthur had no clue, but even in this half-dreaming state, she was holding it like someone who knew what they were doing, and Arthur pushed aside his pride to raise his hands slowly in a surrendering motion. Recognition slowly filtered into those blue eyes, and then her mouth was open in a silent gasp, the sword falling to the floor with a clatter, tears running down her cheeks. He sat beside her slowly, hands still raised.

  
“Ilyna, are you alright?” he kept his voice low, but she still flinched away slightly when he spoke. An involuntary movement then. 

  
“Y-yes.” The short response was clearly a lie, and fresh tears trickled down her cheeks. Arthur raised one hand, and as she tilted away, he gently cupped her cheek, wiping the tears from under her eyes.

  
“Ilyna, you’re safe here, you can talk to me.” She let out a shaky sigh, leaning just slightly into the touch rather than away.

  
“The bad men, they’re always in my dreams…I can’t get away from them. they chase me, and I can’t run.” Her voice was a whisper, shaky and unsure, but Arthur took it as a victory that she was talking to him at all. When morgana got dreams like this, she would always push him away, defensive. It seemed Ilyna needed comfort. He pulled her into a loose hug, leaving it up to her what happened.

She sighed, resting her head on Arthurs chest, fingers drumming an anxious pattern on his side. Her heart was racing, but as Arthur gently stroked through her short hair, mimicking the actions that merlin seemed to like, he felt it slow to a steadier speed, her breathing changing to match his own. A soft glow lit up the room, and Arthur rested his back against the wall, content to let Ilyna’s magic wash over him. Little gold candle wicks floated around the room, and one came to rest by Arthur, warm, but not burning his skin.

  
“When I was little, I wanted to be like the knights I heard so much about. I trained for years, always scaring poor mother by throwing sharp objects around and jumping at any chance to get outside.” Ilyna chuckled quietly, still sounding upset, but away from the brink of panic for now.

  
“And do you? Still want to be a knight I mean.” There was a long silence after his question, but Ilyna had nodded minutely, so Arthur didn’t press. She seemed to relax, lost in a distant memory that Arthur wasn’t a part of. He didn’t mind in the slightest, just continued to pet her hair gently as her fingers stopped moving and she curled up slightly.

The candle wicks vanished, and Ilyna’s breathing steadied, clearly asleep. There would be no sneaking away from her, strong arm wrapped around him and head resting firmly on his chest. He smiled, content to just lay there if it helped her rest. A plan was coming together in his mind, and he shifted minutely to get comfortable.

  
In the end, that was where he fell asleep too. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to leave ideas!


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Merlin gets restless, fleeing to the forest for some much needed time away from the castle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this update is a day late, I'm really sorry, but hey, its a longer chapter!

Merlin needed out. He’d been on strict bed rest for two days after basically collapsing on Arthur, and every part of him was protesting wildly. Even without his magic, he could defend himself just fine, and he was getting more than a little irritated with everyone treating him like a child. His sister could do as she pleased as far as he knew, and she was the one slowly dying. Which was hard enough for him to deal with without everyone watching his steps like he was going to collapse again, making it impossible to even consider trying to use his magic to soothe her. Her nightmares happened every night, and although he tried to hide it, he knew Arthur had taken to sleeping in the antechamber to comfort her. Merlin was grateful that Arthur was there for her where he couldn’t be, but that didn’t stop him hearing her screams. Anguished sounds, sometimes high, other times weak, like she had already given up. He physically ached, trying to call out to her, always unable to.

  
His mind was going to kill him. Decision made, the warlock stumbled to his feet, tugging on a random tunic that wasn’t his, old breeches from the day before, and leaving the room as quietly as he could. It was far more difficult to distract the guards outside the king’s chambers without his magic, but as it turned out, throwing an apple across the hallway worked just as well as any of his old tricks.

  
He broke into a near-sprint once he was outside the castle, not wanting anyone to spot him and all his efforts be wasted. By the time he was under the cover of the trees, he was exhausted, his energy sapped far more quickly than he’d thought. When Gaius had told him about side effects of being without his magic, he’d stopped listening, and clearly this was one of the many times he should have listened far more closely to what his uncle was saying, because he had no clue why everything was starting to tilt.

Aithusa didn’t know her call yet…but maybe she would still listen if he could just access a little bit of his magic. Everything was silent in the woods for a moment as he called upon the powers of the earth to help him, his blood roaring in his ears as he strained against the barrier, fighting his way through the tiny chip in the wall. Although the cuffs were strong, they were made by a weak magic user, and he hoped that by pushing hard enough… there, a small split in the dam, and he pushed harder, one last burst of energy as he called out for his dragon, his voice barely-human, a deep rumble that vibrated in his chest. He staggered, almost knocked over by the aftershocks of using his magic through the cuffs, his arms beginning to go numb from the extra weight of them, burning at his skin the more he worked against them. 

But sure enough, there was a screeching from the sky, and when he looked up, the youngling was speeding towards him, wings spread. He couldn’t help a relieved laugh at seeing her, flying around like nothing had happened. He knew very little of being a dragon lord, but he had discovered quite early on that the more he bonded with Kilgarrah, the more they felt one another’s pain. Like kin, the dragon had supplied, and merlin hadn’t understood what he meant.

  
He understands now, as he takes Aithusa into his arms, resting his head against her snout and laughing in relief at seeing her growth spurt. When she had gone missing a few years ago, Merlin had panicked, worrying that he would never see his hatchling again, knowing that Aithusa only wanted to make friends, and if morgana had found her, the dragon would see no wrong. But he had been able to call her back, slowly, day by day, small increments of magic, training, playing together. They became kin, and Merlin realised that he had neglected her for way too long, had almost been too late.

  
Healing her legs had taken months, and he near killed himself trying to find a solution that wouldn’t hurt her any more than she already was. Eventually, a strange combination of spells had worked, and now the beautiful white dragon could almost walk with no limp. She was slow, yes, but it was a small price when she could have lost her legs altogether. She would often leave offerings at the edge of the woods. Small animals, gold, even a cloak once, and Merlin had to explain to Arthur that there wasn’t a vengeful spirit, probably just a lost dog. 

  
Already, he could feel the benefits of being around her. She was born of his magic, he had named her, and as such was her father in an odd sort of way. It meant that although Aithusa didn’t really know how to heal yet, barely even knew how to breathe fire, her magic was boosting his natural healing process. In an ideal world, he would call on the great dragon, and the older would be able to blast away the cuffs. But the ancient dragon was growing weaker, and merlin had sworn to leave him be, let him enjoy his last years of freedom as much as a great-dragon-turned-fugitive could.

He settled into the grass, content to stay with his dragon for as long as he could get away with. Arthur may be blind at times, but anyone would notice that merlin simply wasn’t there, and he didn’t need to be starting a wild goose chase. He rested his head on warm pearl scales and sighed, the tension leaking from his shoulders as they watched the world turn around them.

  
As it turned out, he was enjoying his last few moments of calm before the storm that was heading their way.  



	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ilyna and Arthur notice Merlin's absence.
> 
> Arthur isn't impressed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A slightly more lighthearted chapter this time before I make things worse for our trio again.
> 
> Sorry its a little short, I just hope it makes sense lol

“MERLIN!!”

  
The nearby knights flinched into position in the hallway, aware of what it meant when the king shouted like that. Something was very wrong, and with the current situation, they all knew better than to think the servant was simply late.

  
Sure enough, a few moments later the King himself came skidding across the hall, followed closely by one very sick young witch. They sprinted past the guards, both in a state of disarray that most royals wouldn’t be seen dead in. 

  
“Where has that bumbling fool-" Arthur paused for a moment to catch his breath, not giving Ilyna enough time to slow her momentum before she was crashing into the kings back and nearly sending them both to the ground. 

  
“Sire! If you don’t mind!” she shoved him gently, nearly sending herself to her knees. She was getting weaker, reluctantly leaning on Arthur to slow her spinning head.

  
“That absolutely moron of a manservant has run off! He’s sick, anything could have happened to him.” Arthur rarely showed his worry for people, she knew this, so she didn’t comment on how Merlin could take care of himself perfectly fine. Her magic pulsed under her skin, a warning and a reassurance.

  
“He’s alive and safe as of right now, you royal ass. So if we could please stop running that would be great.” She knew she sounded petulant, but she was far too tired to care. Her neck pulsed with every laboured breath she took and she pointedly turned her attention to elsewhere, which happened to be the knights training grounds. It was eerily empty without any of the men she knew to be Arthur’s close circle, and she walked out into the field, feeling wrong footed. 

  
Just because she’d lived without Merlin before, that didn’t go to say she never wanted him around. It hurts more, knowing that they can’t even contact one another magically.

  
She took a calculated breath and turned slowly to the King, who was watching her with concerned eyes.

  
“I might know where he is. Who’s the fastest horse in the stable?” she was already walking, more stumbling really, before Arthur even joined her, picking up the pace into a light jog she knew she could keep up even in her wreaked state.

  
Damned serkets.

  
“Rhodall. Merlin’s stallion, he’s very fast, but a little jumpy to anyone but Merlin.” Even Arthur sounded breathless and Ilyna realised belatedly that her own breaths were wheezing, rattling in her chest. She pushed on through the stable doors, startling the poor stable hand from where he’d been taking a nap against a support beam. The boy jolted to full attention, but Arthur didn’t spare him a second thought as he grabbed a saddle from the wall she assumed belonged to Rhodall. 

  
It was hard to forget the beautiful stallion, and as she smiled at the young horse now, she couldn’t resist reaching out to pet his velvety nose. At first, he shied away, making a softly disgruntled sound before reluctantly turning back to her, stomping his hoof on the ground pointedly. She stared back at him, entirely unafraid, until he slowly bowed his head and stepped forwards, allowing her to gently brush over his mane, bruised fingers running through the strands.

  
“Well that’s new. Good to see you’re still on our side.” Arthur was clearly being sarcastic, and she got the sense that Rhodall knew that, because the horse leaned over and bit on the side of Arthur’s shirt, tugging the blonde almost off his feet before letting him go, bowing lower. The king, indignantly huffing, settled the saddle carefully on the stallions back, knowing the young horse hated sudden changes. Sure enough, the black beast bucked slightly under the new weight, his hooves kicking half-heartedly at the door before he settled, letting out an angry whinny and blowing air in Arthur’s face.   
Ilyna found herself laughing, liking her brother’s horse more by the second. 

  
“Ugh, good to know you’re still an ass. Ilyna, you ride with him, I’ll ride with Llanrei.” Although the King pretended to be annoyed, she knew he was only worried about Merlin, so she wordlessly swung up into the saddle and carefully walked the young stallion out into the courtyard. Rhodall gave a distressed whinny, his hoof scraping on the stone floor, before settling, tossing his head slightly.

Her brother’s magic felt strong here, in camelot, around the King, around the horse in particular. She knew that they were all objects of his affection, protected by him.

  
Together, they spurred their horses out past the gates, on their way to find one stupid runaway servant.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How did I do?

**Author's Note:**

> Guess who made it slash because they couldn’t help it 
> 
> updates as soon as my words work properly
> 
> please comment suggestions on what could happen next, or how ilyna should act. anything really, I love hearing from you!


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